The Gigabyte Aero 5 offers a high-performance package suitable for demanding tasks like 3D rendering, machine learning, and engineering work, aided by its robust processor and powerful graphics card; however, it comes with a higher price tag and is heavier, making it less portable. Its OLED screen delivers excellent color accuracy and contrast for professionals who require precision in visuals. On the other hand, the MSI Modern 14 is more affordable and significantly lighter, which enhances its portability; this laptop has sufficient capabilities for everyday tasks and general productivity needs, but with its integrated graphics and less powerful processor, it is not well-suited for intensive gaming or specialized workloads that require advanced graphics processing. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the Gigabyte Aero 5
Very good for engineering and design
Good for gaming and AI
Very good for content creation
Very good overall display quality
Very good keyboard
Advantages of the MSI Modern 14
Very good portability
Good speakers
Key differences
General Use
7.9/10
7.2/10
3840 x 2160
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
446.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
311.0 nits
7.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
6.0 Hours
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
6.7/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.6/10
The Gigabyte Aero 5 and MSI Modern 14 are both good for general use, though the Gigabyte Aero 5 is somewhat better.
PerfectRec’s General Use Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for general productivity, web browsing, streaming, video calls, and running a wide variety of apps and programs.
Gaming and AI
7.9/10
6.0/10
8.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
3840 x 2160
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.7/10
The Gigabyte Aero 5 is good for gaming and AI, while the MSI Modern 14 is only fair.
The Gigabyte Aero 5 excels in gaming and 3D applications due to its powerful Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti graphics card, which far outperforms the integrated graphics found in the MSI Modern 14's AMD Ryzen 5 7530U Vega 7. Both laptops have similar screen refresh rates, but the higher GPU capability of the Aero 5 makes a significant difference for these intense tasks.
Engineering and Design
8.7/10
6.6/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.6/10
8.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Gigabyte Aero 5 is very good for engineering and design, while the MSI Modern 14 is only fair.
PerfectRec’s Engineering and Design Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for graphic design and 3D rendering work.
Content Creation
8.2/10
7.2/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.6/10
3840 x 2160
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Gigabyte Aero 5 is very good for content creation, while the MSI Modern 14 is good.
PerfectRec’s Content Creation Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for photo editing, video editing and other content creation tasks.
Software Development
7.9/10
7.1/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
3840 x 2160
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The Gigabyte Aero 5 and MSI Modern 14 are both good for software development, though the Gigabyte Aero 5 is somewhat better.
PerfectRec’s Software Development Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for software developers.
Screen Quality
8.6/10
6.4/10
15.6in
SIZE
14.0in
3840 x 2160
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
446.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
311.0 nits
The Gigabyte Aero 5 has a better screen than the MSI Modern 14 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
If you prioritize a vivid and sharp display for tasks like photo editing or watching movies, the Gigabyte Aero 5's superior resolution and brightness make it stand out, though it might be reflected in a higher price. For engineers and designers who need precise color representation, the Aero 5's wide color gamut covering high percentages of DCI-P3 and Adobe RGB will be crucial. However, gamers looking for fluid motion in fast-paced scenes might find the Aero 5 lacking due to a lower refresh rate, compared to other models specifically tailored for gaming with higher refresh rates, which can offer smoother visuals.
Portability
Fair
Very Good
15.6in
SIZE
14.0in
5.0 lbs
WEIGHT
3.0 lbs
1.0in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The MSI Modern 14 has very good portability, while the Gigabyte Aero 5 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.8/10
7.0/10
The Gigabyte Aero 5 and MSI Modern 14 both have good build quality, though the Gigabyte Aero 5 has somewhat better build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,250
$525
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The Gigabyte Aero 5 has a price of $1,250 and the MSI Modern 14 costs $525.
"It is unfortunate that the Gigabyte AERO notebook series have seem to lost its charm, as it’s not exactly any much different from the AORUS series now. Regardless, content creators and designers will certainly still appreciate the features on the AERO 5 XE4, which are fundamental to their work. This largely revolved around the notebook’s display, which is colour calibrated and validated, high resolution (4K) and with great AMOLED colour representation. Now that the AERO 5 XE4 has improved its performance with the latest CPU and GPU, the professionals can also appreciate the improved productivity from the notebook."
Alexander Tozzi, Ryan Lim, and John Peroramas | October 2023
"The MSI Modern 14 is okay for school use. It's very compact, so it's easy to carry around. It has a sharp display, a spacious keyboard, and a reasonably large touchpad. Its Intel 13th Gen CPU and integrated graphics can handle general productivity tasks like text processing and web browsing; however, don't expect to do anything intensive like 3D modeling or physics simulations. Unfortunately, the battery lasts less than five hours of light use, and the display doesn't get bright enough to combat glare."
Get a great deal on the Gigabyte Aero 5 or the MSI Modern 14
About Gigabyte
Gigabyte is a Taiwanese computer hardware manufacturer. While Gigabyte mainly focuses its business on desktop hardware, Gigabyte is known for its value-oriented G series laptops, thin and light Aero series, and performance-oriented Aorus series. Gigabyte laptops offer a strong value proposition to compete with mainstream alternatives.
About MSI
MSI, also known as Micro-Star International, is a Taiwanese technology corporation. MSI is known for their wide range of gaming devices. Their series include the entry-level Cyborg/Thin and Sword/Katana series, the mid-range Bravo/Delta and Crosshair/Pulse series, and their high-end Vector, Raider, Stealth, and Titan GT series. At every performance level, MSI offers a variety of devices with varying balances between performance, battery life, weight, and price, making them a solid option to consider at every price point.
This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec laptops team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest laptop information and makes it digestible for you.
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